Agtrix has developed a sophisticated software tool to improve communication between harvesters and processing plants during a harvesting season.

The new data exchange system, Supply and Harvester Information in Real Time (SHIRT), enables operators to share information about harvester progress, bin supply and processing performance in real time to optimise harvester fleet and bin supply. Stoppages, crushing rates, bin weights and the number of empty bins in transit can easily be monitored to help promote just-in-time harvesting. SHIRT also records the number of bins each crew has cut against their daily quota, as well as the number of bins allocated to a harvester.

The system is currently being used by cane growers across New South Wales to improve operational and supply chain efficiency.

Originally developed for the forestry sector, ForestTracks uses an on-board, touch-screen computer to warn harvest operators of approaching workplace hazards such as low overhead power lines, deep drains or steep slopes. It also identifies areas that must be avoided or managed sensitively during harvest, such as timber exclusion zones or crops that cannot be sprayed. Advice and warnings are issued according to vehicle location, backed by information stored in a local database.

Hazards and sensitive areas are identified before the harvest, as part of the harvest plan, in a Geographic Information System (GIS). They can also be recorded by the harvest operator on site. Data is updated automatically through mobile networks.